Previews

PAX: Torchlight II vs. Diablo III

No two ways about it: Torchlight's got the rich, loot-laden blood of Diablo running through its veins. And let's face it -- you can only do so much hacking and slashing before your clicking finger becomes a mass of arthritic agony. So then, the answer's obvious, right? Your money's headed straight for Blizzard's already morbidly obese piggy bank. Honestly, though, writing off Torchlight II would be a colossal mistake. No, this isn't a case of better or worse... just different. Shockingly different. Truth be told, these games are practically polar opposites.

Mods, LAN, and Single-player: Blizzard recently raised the ire of the Internet's pitchfork-and-torch brigade in a big way. See, Diablo III's going online-only, so local area network play is out of the question... and game mods are "expressly prohibited." Granted, that pretty much gives cheaters the rare epic +10 boot, but for some players, the trade-off is still too steep. Enter Torchlight II. Mods, LAN support, and a true single-player mode -- it's got all three. According to developer Runic Games, the plan is to separate server browsers into mod and non-mod categories.

Skills and Advancement: Torchlight II's talent trees and skill systems may be tried-and-true, but they have such deep roots for a reason. Beyond that, the game's added a combo system based around "charges" that rewards you with buffs and special skills, so long as you don't take any detours from your warpath. Diablo III, on the other hand, scrapped traditional skills and talent trees altogether, opting instead for a slot system that essentially lets you pick and choose your skill loadout whenever you please. And then we have the Rune system, which lets you further modify a skill in multiple markedly different ways. Personally, I found that it encouraged variety and gave me options, but some players prefer Torchlight II's more old-fashioned approach.

Art Direction: Initially, Diablo III got beaten black-and-blue for allegedly being "too cartoony," but -- based on the game's earlier bits -- you won't be seeing any smiling rainbows or wisecracking wascally wabbits. Instead, Diablo III's general atmosphere strikes a nice balance between gothic spookiness and ethereal wonderment. Torchlight, on the other hand, embraces zaniness instead of telling it to go stand outside in the rain. During the demo I played, I spelunked everything from an Egyptian-themed crypt to a gear-heavy steampunk lava cavern. Tonally consistent? Not really. But look! Lights and sparkles and a tank-sized, self-operating terror pistol! The game's level and character designs have an airresistible sense of whimsy to them, which also helps to mitigate some of the deja vu that tends to go hand-in-hand with randomly generated areas.

Character Classes: Here's one of the few places where both games see eye-to-eye. Well, kind of. See, Torchlight II's classes purposefully keep clear of genre archetypes, and so do Diablo III's. The devil, however, is in the details, and -- in their own ways -- both games absolutely thrive. For instance, in Torchlight II, I played an Engineer, whose specialties were pets and whack-a-moling enemies with his absurdly large hammer. All told, he was wholesome, face-flattening fun with a bit of kiting mixed in. Diablo III's main pet class, meanwhile, is the much squishier, less melee-focused Witch Doctor. However, what he lacks in blind-rushing brawn, he more than makes up for with area-of-effect attacks that leave naught but scorched earth in their wake.

Story: The jury's still out on how effective it is, but Diablo III's putting the spotlight on story with in-engine cut-scenes, chatty follower characters, and heaping helpings of lore. Granted, it's not suddenly transforming into Final Fantasy XIII; your sword is still far mightier than Blizzard's pen. Even so, if you'd rather nonchalantly banish quest text and get straight to the slashing, Torchlight II's probably more up your alley.

Bosses: These are hack 'n' slash role-playing games we're talking about, so if you're expecting multi-phase marathon encounters that require the brain of a rocket scientist and the coordination of a synchronized swim team, you're in the wrong place. The portions I played of both games weren't entirely mindless, though; Diablo III's teleport-loving Skeleton King, especially, wiped the floor with my co-op partner and I because we lacked a proper tank. Torchlight II's bosses struck me as a bit more rudimentary, merely spawning other enemies and launching intermittent ultra attacks. They also had a bit too much health, but Runic representatives assured me that they're not even close to done balancing the game.

Loot Pinatas: Don't get me wrong: Diablo III's vanquished foes aren't stingy with loot. You may be horribly murdering them, but that's no excuse for them to forget their manners. That said, Torchlight II ups the ante with veritable loot volcanoes. One boss kill elicited a gushing geyser of glittering prizes. It felt like I'd won the lottery -- only, you know, with swords.

Spy Guy says: Decisions, decisions! I wonder if I can multibox both... which action-RPG sequel are you most looking forward to?